One of the many things we pride ourselves on is introducing you to underrated songwriters. One of the many underrated songwriters we’ve mentioned and are mentioning again is Mac Davis, who folks mostly know for writing several of Elvis’ biggest hits. Though the man had one heck of a career on his own, and for that reason, as well as many others, Dolly Parton holds him in a very high regard.
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It is rather suprising that more people aren’t aware of Davis’ impact, as he contributed so much to mainstream music. In addition to writing for Elvis, Davis released a plethora of solo material and was an actor and TV host. Furthermore, Davis scored a No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 with “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me”. The man is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, and Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Needless to say, Davis has most of the accolades, yet is still an overlooked figure, but not by Dolly Parton.
Dolly Parton Seldom Writes With Other Artists, But She Wrote With Davis
Most of Dolly Parton’s catalog is a collection of songs written only by her. The country music giant certainly has many co-writing credits, but impressively, she writes alone most of the time. If you know the country music industry, then you know this is not a normality. However, one writer she let into her process once upon a time with open arms was Mac Davis.
Concerning her affinity for Davis, Parton told The Guardian, “Every once in a while I’ll write with Mac Davis, who is one of our greater songwriters – we write quick and good together – but for the most part I do it on my own.” “I wish I had time to write with more people, but my time is so limited, it takes all I’ve got just to do what I need to do,” she added.
Some Parton songs featuring Davis include “White Limozeen”, “Wait ‘Til I Get You Home”, and “Everyone But You And Me”, and “Country Is As Country Does”. In addition to writing together, Parton covered Davis’ “In The Ghetto”, which he originally wrote for Elvis Presley. Other tracks Davis wrote for Elvis include “Don’t Cry Daddy,” “Memories,” and “A Little Less Conversation”.
Per Davis track record, it’s fair to say that Parton’s comment was right on the money. While relatively underrated in the grand scheme of music, Davis is still one of country music’s “greater songwriters”.
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